We created the collaborator!
Paulius Yamin-Slotkus, Former Head, Behavioural Change Team, Department of Public Service, Columbia
With several years of experience designing and managing cultural and behavioural change initiatives with private companies, public institutions and social collectives in the South America, Paulius is currently a PhD student in Psychological and Behavioural Science at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
"The Media Social Norms Collaborator is opening a much-needed space for academics and practitioners to share their insights and experiences around how social norms can transform real-world contexts. For academics, this can mean gaining access and better engaging with practical interventions contexts, experiences and intervention methods; for practitioners it can mean accessing a wealth of theory and findings grounded on rigorous study and empirical evidence. By bridging the gap between them, the Collaborator has the potential to create both more relevant research and more impactful interventions."
Dr Caroline Harper, Head of Programme, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, ODI, UK.
"I found the meeting very stimulating. It reminds us that perspectives on norm change – even within the same disciplinary approach – are also uniquely different and contested. It also reminds us that absorbing the implications of disciplinary perspectives takes considerable time. Importantly learning how to interpret behaviors is vital, but the best we can do is give people a range of options as to how norms may change so they can draw on that which is most relevant to them in their particular contexts and moments in time.
Thank you for the opportunity to be part of this learning group."
Amanda Noonan, Strategy Director, Social Impact, Frog Design
"I really enjoyed the discussions and am grateful for the opportunity to attend.
For me this was a wonderful introduction to a community working at the edges of academic rigor, depth of experience and a pragmatic, inclusive approach to a growing solutions space. Personally, I am keen to dig deeper into the possibilities offered by the bridging of behavioral science and human-centered design, particularly understanding motivations, trust and influence with ecosystems as a basis for appropriate, impactful and sustainable design and use. The MSN Collaborator will provide a great place of experience exchange and collective action. I sincerely hope to have the opportunity to participate and contribute in future."
the media and social norms collaborator
Advancing Research and Practice on Normative Change through Media Interventions
Our Challenge
There is academic and practice based evidence to suggest that the media is one of the most powerful ways to create norm change. We are aware of the social norms learning collaborative at Georgetown University, Break through research funded by USAID focusing on SBC and the Johns Hopkins based CCP.
While all these initiatives recognize that the media in different forms does have an impact on shifting Social Norms - there is not a focused collective initiative which works on drawing out the effects and impacts of the media.
Our Solution
The MSN is such a space where practice learning meeting academic thinking. We begin with the question
What (if any) are the predictable and measurable effects of the media on social norms at the individual, group and societal levels?
The intention of this group is to be a convening space for the development of these ideas, questions, learning and knowledge and to create clarity around the measurable impact of
• different types of media (eg. face to face, social media, online, mobile, mass media etc.)
• different types of norms (eg. injunctive, descriptive, normative, social, societal, community etc)
• different types of behavioural drivers (eg. values, attitudes, beliefs, nudges, etc.)
Proposed learning communities
1. Mass Media
2. Social Media and Big data
3. On-ground face to face and mid media
Some of the questions we are currently discussing/ seeking funding for-
Sectoral questions
• What counts as evidence in a Media and Social Norms intervention? (BBC Media Action working paper)
• Which types of (behavioural) outcomes does a media intervention best serve?
• At which point in the development cycle does the use of media have a significant ‘amplification effect’?
• Are all audiences the same in a social norms intervention?
Practice questions
• How does social identity interact with social norms (paper with I.Gliebs)
• Investigating the unintended consequences of a media campaign (eg. UN Women, Twitter - Big Data, investigating changing narratives on VAWG)
• When does a blogger become a social influencer?
Our Members
Advisors
Prof Rajiv Rimal - George Washington University
Dr LInje Manyozo - RMIT, Australia
Steering Group
Dr Kavita Abraham-Dowsing - LSE, Simplicity
Dr Ben Cislaghi – LSHTM
Dr Claudia Abreu Lopes – Cambridge
Dr J.A. Sheehy-Skeffington - PBS, LSE
Dr I. H. Gleibs - PBS, LSE
Dr Michael Muthukrishna - PBS, LSE
Members
- The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation - (Delhi)
- The Learning Collaborative - Georgetown University, (USA)
- Overseas Development Institute (UK)
- Well Told Story (Kenya)
- Africa Voices Foundation (Cambridge)
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
- London School of Economics (PBS, Media and Communications)
- Frog design
- Population Foundation of India (Delhi)
- Care International
- Center for Behaviour Change Communication (Ashoka University, Delhi)
- Promundo Global
- Oxfam Global
What we are upto!
22 May 2018, London School of Economics and Political Science - The Media and Social Norms Collaborator (2): The Behavioural Scientists respond to Practice.
See agenda and participants below
The meeting II: The Behavioural Scientists Respond
Agenda - The Morning
The morning session will be led by the steering committee of the MSNC and one of our advisors.
Welcome and a brief Introduction to the MSN – Dr Kavita Abraham-Dowsing
A brief introduction to the world of Social Norms - Dr Ben Cislaghi
Behavioral scientist 1 - The psychology of inequality – Dr Jennifer Sheehy-Skeffington
Behavioral scientist 2 - The lens of Identity – Dr Ilka Gleibs
Behavioral scientist 3 – The evolution of norms – Dr Michael Muthukrishna
Locating this work in the field of Entertainment Education - Prof Rajiv Rimal
Discussion – facilitated by Dr Claudia Abreu Lopes
The afternoon: This is a closed session for members.
If you are a member please do email the collaborator if you would like to see the agenda.
The morning session will be recorded with the intention to share widely.
A special mention to our participants from San Francisco to Melbourne!
1. Anastazia Mirozyants (Well Told Story, Kenya)
2. Rob Burnet (Well Told Story, Kenya)
3. Alok Vajpayi (Poulation Foundation of India)
4. Sanghamitra Singh (Popolation Foundation of India)
5. Leigh Stefanik (Care USA)
6. Amanda Noonan (Frog Design)
7. Ruti Levtov (Promundo Global, USA)
8. Rajiv Rimal (George Washington University, USA)
9. Neela Saldanha (Center for Social and Behaviour Change Communication - Ashoka University, Delhi)
10. Sid Swarup (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Delhi)
11. Linje Manyozo (RMIT University, Australia)
Publications
The blog is now available!
The report has been published. Do get in touch if you would like a copy.